Smith County, TX —
Several burglars were caught in the act of stealing from a house on Wednesday afternoon.

It happened on Smith County Road 4142 near Lindale, just after 1:00 p.m.

“According to preliminary reports, the homeowner arrived at his residence and discovered five men in his home who were in the process of burglarizing it,” said John Moore, public information officer for the Smith County Sheriff's Office.

At first, the homeowner says he didn't know they were burglars, but knew something was suspicious.

"They said they were with an energy company and wanted to know if I needed electricity," the man told KETK crews on scene.

The homeowner said he then heard something in the back of the house, and realized what was happening.

He told KETK that he immediately grabbed his shotgun, and several of the burglars got into an SUV and left.

“The burglars were in different vehicles," Moore said. "Four of them left the scene in a Chevrolet Tahoe, but one of them was in a different vehicle and was detained at gunpoint by the homeowner."

He called law enforcement and waited for them to arrive. According to the homeowner, the burglar did not try to escape. He sat down and waited for Smith County Sheriff deputies to take him into custody.

Moore said that Tyroderick Loftis, a Criminal Investigation Division detective with the sheriffs department, was following the burglary on his radio when he spotted a Chevrolet Tahoe matching the description of the one involved in the incident.

“Detective Loftis called for backup after he followed the vehicle into the Woody Weaver Pharmacy parking lot on Gentry Parkway. The Tyler Police Department and others responded. Two of the four in the Tahoe were arrested on site."

The two others led officers on a brief foot chase through a wooded area, and were eventually caught by Tyler Police officials near Charlotte St. in Tyler.

Moore said the identities and ages of those involved in the burglary would be released later. No other information on the investigation is being released at this time.